Fellow Spotlight: Dr. Adrienne Maier

I am from Madison, MS and went to Ole Miss for undergrad and UMMC for medical school, and I did my Med-Peds residency here at UMMC as well. Now I am in my second year of Endocrinology Fellowship and final year of medical training. I am married to Joel and have an almost 1 year old son, Elijah, who pretty much occupies most of my free time, and I am perfectly fine with that! When I do have some actual free time, I love reading (C.S. Lewis and Tolkien are my favorite authors, hands down), and enjoy doing things outdoors like kayaking and biking. Something my husband and I both love is traveling to new places, whether it’s to another country or to a small town in Mississippi that we’ve never seen. We also have two dogs, Charlie and Lulu, who definitely make life interesting.

What do you like most about UMMC?

It sounds cliché but I have to say the patients. One thing I have truly come to appreciate over the past several years of my training here is that we truly see some incredibly complex and interesting patients here at UMMC. I have also built some incredible relationships with my patients and am truly honored to have been able to play a role in their care.

Where do you want to be in life in 5 years?

Dr. Maier and her family

I hope to be established in my Endocrinology practice here in the Jackson Metro area in five years. In addition, I hope to be an active member of my community and maybe have one (or two) more kids by then. We’ll see!

What has been your favorite part of training at UMMC?

During both my Med-Peds residency and Endocrinology fellowship, I have always loved the close-knit feel of each program and the excellent training we receive from the programs’ leadership. The program administrators, faculty, and co-residents and co-fellows who I have worked with over the past 5 years have truly become a second family and I would not be where I am today without them.

What are some small things that make your life better?

Coffee, dark chocolate, getting into a good book, and just having good quality family time.

If you weren’t a physician, what would you do?

I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was a young girl, and I don’t really remember if there was any other option, in my mind at least. If I had to choose, I would probably do something that involves traveling or working with children in some way. I’ve always thought being a Child Life specialist in the Children’s Hospital would be an amazing job. If you don’t know what that is, they are trained professionals with backgrounds in child development or child psychology who specialize in helping children in the hospital and their families cope with hospitalization and illness through play and providing support during procedures or difficult times during their stay. It just seems like a very rewarding job, and you get to make kids smile every day!